Memos obtained by the National Post tell officials to approve Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments even if they suspect abuse, or if the person quit voluntarily or was fired for cause. But he insisted the government is monitoring for fraud and will recoup improper payments eventually. A source familiar with the process, however, said it would be impossible for those people to have received the payments twice, as the CERB computer system would not allow it. One says ESDC staff should approve payments and not refer cases to the Employment Insurance integrity branch if they detect potential abuse. Based on about seven million approved requests, a two per cent fraud rate would mean 140,000 applications for CERB – and $280 million a month in payments.

Source: National Post May 15, 2020 00:00 UTC